Ridley Scott explains how Steven Spielberg contributed to the originalGladiator IIscript being scrapped. AfterGladiatorbecame a critical and commercial hit following its theatrical release in 2000, it took more than two decades for a sequel to come to fruition. TheGladiator IIstoryreleasing in 2024, directed by Scott and with a cast led by Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, is entirely different from the original script written years earlier by musician Nick Cave.
While speaking withThe New York Times, the script is described as having resurrected Russell Crowe’s Maximus as “an instrument of the Roman gods dispatched against Jesus Christ.” Scott already had his own misgivings about Cave’s story, but Spielberg, who consulted on the original film, also encouraged him to pass. Check out Scott’s comments below:
It got too grand. Nick is very high theater, and Steven Spielberg said, “Nah.” I wasn’t confident about what we had actually put together, so I just let it go.
What This Means For Gladiator II
The Sequel Is Better For Not Following Nick Cave’s Script
TheoriginalGladiator IIscriptwritten by Cave would have changed the genre from a historical epic to a story more so based on mythology and fantasy. Even if Crowe did reprise his role as Maximus, the character’s journey, the genre shift, and the story itself would have felt unrecognizable next to its predecessor. There has been criticism of 2024’sGladiator IIfeeling too similar to the original movie, but thecriticisms would have been far worse if Cave’s script had been used.
Gladiator 2 Cast, Character & Cameo Guide
Gladiator 2’s casts includes legendary actors and up-and-coming stars, continuing the story established by Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic, Gladiator.
Instead,Gladiator II’s reviewshave been largely positive, especially when discussing Washington’s performance. The movie is also expected to be a box office hit, as its domestic opening weekend release coincides withWickedin a box office battle that has the potential to become the next Barbenheimer phenomenon. Followingthe journey of Maximus' son, Lucius Verus (Mescal), in another historical epic has far more widespread appealthan there would have been for Maximus being resurrected to murder Jesus.
Our Take On Ridley Scott’s Comments
Steven Spielberg Helped Save Gladiator II
It is for the best that Spielberg stepped in and helped ensure that Cave’sGladiator IIscript did not become the sequel’s story. Scott made some questionable storytelling decisions in his expansions of theAlienfranchise viaPrometheusandAlien: Covenant. Even though he was not enthusiastic about Cave’s script, it is good that Spielberg helped solidify that it was not the right call for the sequel and that theGladiatorfranchise was not led astray.2024’sGladiator IIis a much worthier and more fitting continuation of the storythat began in Scott’sGladiator.
